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Author
Topic: Starting Atripla (Read 18006 times)

So based on the trends of my previous labs, my doctor has recommended starting medication. She prescribed Atripla about a month ago. I have been jumping hoops trying to get placed on the ADAP waiting list. Finally got on it and so I applied for the Patient Assistance Program through the clinic I go to.

I should be getting my first prescription on Wednesday of next week. (13 June).

Before, I couldn't wait to start meds, but now I understand some people's hesitance. It's freaking real now, once I start HAART, I have to keep to it for the rest of my life.

What were your feelings before starting meds?

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

I'm only two months into it myself..I had the same reaction at first..I stared at the pill bottle for the longest time before I could open it, knowing this is something I'm gonna have to do every single night..I am used to it now..I see it as taking a vitamin now..Once I got my first labs back last week, and saw how low my VL had dropped, it felt so good..I made a decision to fight this little bug multplying inside of me..In the end I keep telling myself it's well worth it in the long run

I'm only two months into it myself..I had the same reaction at first..I stared at the pill bottle for the longest time before I could open it, knowing this is something I'm gonna have to do every single night..I am used to it now..I see it as taking a vitamin now..Once I got my first labs back last week, and saw how low my VL had dropped, it felt so good..I made a decision to fight this little bug multplying inside of me..In the end I keep telling myself it's well worth it in the long run

I'm glad it's working for ya man! I hear that it's a wonderful drug at keeping the VL suppressed.

It's such a big milestone to start HAART. I guess I'm just scared of how my body will react. Thanks for your reply.

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

Just remember Dan, for you, it really is a choice as to whether to start meds...not so for all of us. When I was dxd with AIDS, I would have killed for the first pill. Don't worry about this pill, it's side effects or the fact that you have to take it forever. It IS the functional treatment for HIV/AIDS and it kicks it in the ASS!

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Diagnosed in May of 2010 with teh AIDS.

PCP Pneumonia . CD4 8 . VL 500,000

TRIUMEQ - VALTREX - FLUOXETINE - FENOFIBRATE - PRAVASTATIN - CIALIS

Numbers consistent since 12/2010 - VL has remained undetectable and CD4 is anywhere from 275-325

I'm glad it's working for ya man! I hear that it's a wonderful drug at keeping the VL suppressed.

It's such a big milestone to start HAART. I guess I'm just scared of how my body will react. Thanks for your reply.

Atripla is a very good pill..Minimal side effects..Of course, just like any medicine, it takes getting used to..From my personal experience at first, my first night I was a little dizzy, but not very bothersome since I was in and out of sleep anyway..The morning grogginess was the only thing that bothered me..But I'm not a morning person anyway hehe

I'm sure you know the first few weeks can be a little weird on Atripla. Try not to let it bother you, things settle down very quickly. Very soon it will be just another part of your day. In a couple weeks you'll be saying "its no big whoop."

I remember the nervousness associated with starting a lifetime regimen (for me it was way back in May 2006) but I can truthfully say that once I settled into a routine, I am grateful for how this medication has enabled me to go back to living my life. Give yourself the gift of this adjustment to a new reality, allow for the period of time needed for your body to adjust...hopefully, like many of us, this will become a regular, even uneventful, part of each day.

I have been blessed with great results on Atripla. I hope the same for you.

Dan, you actually have time to wait some more before making any treatment decisions. You're dealing with an infection that's barely six month old and your body is still adjusting. Now that your body is starting to have some control over your VL, your CD4s will start to rise. Give it some time.

You don't have to jump into something you're not ready for - you do have time to see what happens and get used to the idea of meds before starting.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

On my third day of Atripla. First night I was dizzy and woke up hung over all day. Second night got buzzed and dizzy. No hang over today. Hope third night not as intense. Tummy feels good. Keep u posted

Night three not as intense. Less dizziness. Dreams not as wild. Managed to eat something light an hour after dose with no problem. Seems to be getting easier. No rash yet. Hope my body is liking this new drug.

Night three not as intense. Less dizziness. Dreams not as wild. Managed to eat something light an hour after dose with no problem. Seems to be getting easier. No rash yet. Hope my body is liking this new drug.

Sounds like things are going very well

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Diagnosed in May of 2010 with teh AIDS.

PCP Pneumonia . CD4 8 . VL 500,000

TRIUMEQ - VALTREX - FLUOXETINE - FENOFIBRATE - PRAVASTATIN - CIALIS

Numbers consistent since 12/2010 - VL has remained undetectable and CD4 is anywhere from 275-325

LOL I was mad as hell. I wondered why I couldn't be one of those who go 5-10 years without meds. At the time I was only infected for one year.... I can still remember picking up that first bottle in Coral Gables during rush hour traffic, looking at my pills while navigating in a sea of vehicles.

day 4 update- less dizzy last night just tingly. ate an hour before med. little groggy but never was a morning person anyway.very energetic and feel rested. the dreams are not that bad and seems business as usual. eating properly and lifiting my dumbells. i have noticed that i am friskier.

OK so, I've just gone to pick up my meds today. I've decided to start taking them on 1 August. I have the month of August off so that way, I won't be stressed out about work and I'll have free time to adjust to the meds.

My peer counselor thinks it's a good idea since by waiting to start I'll have an emergency stash built up.

Thanks everyone for all your encouragement and advice. I'll definitely keep you guys up-to-date especially when I start the regimen.

Dan

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

good luck! i have had no issues yet. just need to get past the second week to see if rash develops then it should be fine after that. just program your smart phone to alert you to take the pill and take it with a tall glass of water. go straight to bed. if you need to get out of bed, make sure your sit up on bed and let blood flow flow head sdown before you full stand up to avoid the dizziness. i love only have to take one pill a day and expect my vl to go down and my t's up more.

I've had great luck with Atripla so I'm happy about that. From what I hear the side effects if any are minimal. I only had the early light-headedness, dizzy feeling but that passed in 2 weeks.

As for the life-time regimen thing, this is something that really got to me and I can totally empathize. But what you have to remind yourself is that there are plenty of folks out there who have to take maintenence drugs everyday forever for other conditions and some of them are really terrible. So comparatively, living on Atripla is kind of a walk in the park.

week two on atripla and i feel great! i developed a rash on my arms and upper chest on day 7. it has cleared up with a little skin care. less intesnse dreams and really been a breeze taking one pill a day. go in for labs next week. hoping to be undectable soon. my cd4 is 800 from 204 when i was diagniosed in january. wish me luck!

week two on atripla and i feel great! i developed a rash on my arms and upper chest on day 7. it has cleared up with a little skin care. less intesnse dreams and really been a breeze taking one pill a day. go in for labs next week. hoping to be undectable soon. my cd4 is 800 from 204 when i was diagniosed in january. wish me luck!

Anewpozzie:

I'm so glad to hear that everything is working out fine for you! I hope it goes well for me when I begin.

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

So, I just took my first dose! It took me like 10m of mental preparation before I took it. I hadn't even opened the pill bottle until now. I was surprised at the size of the pill... but I reasoned that my daily vitamin pill is slightly smaller. It went down pretty easily, didn't even feel it.

Well, there's no turning back now! Gotta take this sucker every night. 15th August I have an appointment with the doctor to see how I'm doing on the pill. Here's to a healthy life!

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

Way to go Dan! I have to kind of chuckle to myself when I read about how apprehensive people are in taking that 1st pill (myself included, it wasnt too long ago that I took my first pill). In short order you wont event think twice and will be popping those pills nightly without reservation. I hope its a smooth transition. I'm sure it will be.

I'm with Dan right now and it is 3am EST, three hours after his first dose of Atripla. He's started feeling rather dizzy and "high". He seems to be in good spirits overall. We're watching Doctor Who tonight and pretty much chilling out. So far, so good.

So! I just spent my first night on Atripla. I wasn't able to get to sleep very easily. I kept drifting in and out of sleep, so I took some melatonin, that seemed to help. I had a pretty vivid dream, but no more vivid than the dreams I usually have. I woke up just a bit dizzy. Nothing very bothersome actually.

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

So! I just spent my first night on Atripla. I wasn't able to get to sleep very easily. I kept drifting in and out of sleep, so I took some melatonin, that seemed to help. I had a pretty vivid dream, but no more vivid than the dreams I usually have. I woke up just a bit dizzy. Nothing very bothersome actually.

Sounds good!

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Diagnosed in May of 2010 with teh AIDS.

PCP Pneumonia . CD4 8 . VL 500,000

TRIUMEQ - VALTREX - FLUOXETINE - FENOFIBRATE - PRAVASTATIN - CIALIS

Numbers consistent since 12/2010 - VL has remained undetectable and CD4 is anywhere from 275-325

But I'm definitely looking forward to tonight's pill. I think my mistake last night was not going to sleep immediately. I was curious and wanted to see how I would feel, but once the dizziness kicked in, it was hard for me to get to sleep.

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

But I'm definitely looking forward to tonight's pill. I think my mistake last night was not going to sleep immediately. I was curious and wanted to see how I would feel, but once the dizziness kicked in, it was hard for me to get to sleep.

Yeah - at least early on it is usually best to take it right before going to bed. I can now take mine a few hours before bedtime with no dizziness. I also did not get any type of rash when I started Atripla - so, maybe you will be a member of the rashless club.

I still get some vivid dreams every now and then - last night I had a few - even though I don't remember them today.

Yeah - at least early on it is usually best to take it right before going to bed. I can now take mine a few hours before bedtime with no dizziness. I also did not get any type of rash when I started Atripla - so, maybe you will be a member of the rashless club.

I still get some vivid dreams every now and then - last night I had a few - even though I don't remember them today.

Hope it continues to go well for you.

Thanks for the well wishes phil! I hope I don't develop a rash. I've always had sensitive skin and get all types of rashes (heat, sweat, etc.)

Well, I've taken pill number 2 at about 00h30 UTC-5:00. Gonna try and get to sleep soon.

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

Alright! So I went to sleep about an hour after taking my second pill and I went to sleep immediately! I had no trouble whatsoever getting to sleep.

I recall kinda waking up in the middle of the night. I felt dizzy, but I readjusted my sleeping position and I fell back to sleep right away. Also I didn't have any dreams that I can recall. So, night number 2 went very well!

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

One thing to remember the fight is on now that you're on meds... You're giving your body the tools it needs to kill off nearly all of those little pests! Over the next few weeks your VL will drop like a rock. Once its does most of the side effects you’re experiencing will go away and life becomes pretty routine.

Alright so I'm jumping on the Atripla bandwagon as well! After a year of treatment I asked my dr to switch me to Atripla. I think the one pill will help me remain more consistent with taking my meds. Also I just couldn't get UD. My dr suspects that while my resistance test was negative, that for some reason one part of my current Prezista/Truvada/Norvir could use improvement. I take my first pill tonight.

Alright so I'm jumping on the Atripla bandwagon as well! After a year of treatment I asked my dr to switch me to Atripla. I think the one pill will help me remain more consistent with taking my meds. Also I just couldn't get UD. My dr suspects that while my resistance test was negative, that for some reason one part of my current Prezista/Truvada/Norvir could use improvement. I take my first pill tonight.

Welcome to the A-Team! LOL

Some advice for you: take the pill immediately before going to sleep. Don't wait up like I did. Once the dizziness kicks in, it's really hard to get to sleep. And as buginme2 said, the second night's 90% easier!

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

Good to see you back Numbers! Not that I'm here all that often either...

The thing I love about Atripla is it's not something that has to be taken exactly at the same time every day. Once your VL is under control (which you are even at 74) all you really need to do is take it every night before bed. My doctor says every night within a few hours is perfectly fine. So leave your pill box next to your toothbrush and you'll never forget! But if you do you're also going to wake up with Funk Breath because you didn't brush your teeth!!

I woke up this morning feeling slightly woozy, but after eating breakfast I felt fine.

One thing that's weird is for the past two nights I've woken up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. I usually sleep all through the night. But it's not like I wake up completely. It's like I wake up, realize I'm awake, and then go immediately back to sleep. I haven't had any intense, vivid, wacky dreams yet. (Well, none that I can remember upon waking).

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.” —Frida Kahlo

Yeah Dan, day 4 with atripla (well tonight will be day 5) but i haven't had any crazy dreams or anything, a little dizziness here and there when I wake up but that's pretty much gone, I take mine about 1030pm and try to go to sleep about 1130-1200. I take mine a little earlier because my dr said that by morning time you shouldn't be so groggy, and so far its helping. Been drinking a lot of water and laid off drinking beer for about a week now ahhhhh but I want a COLD SAM ADAMS NOW!!! I'm going to let this med kick into high gear and then have a couple beers again for dinner, nothing to crazy. Hope your doing good on the med and if you have a iphone there is this app called poztracker or pillboxie that will send you a text when you have to take your meds, also poztracker keeps up your labs and shows a little graph.